Lumos et Nox
by Nagini Crimson
Summary: DISCONTINUED! Harry, Hermione, Malfoy, and Hannah Abbott are put through an exchange program, and end up going to America. Will they survive the culture shock or will they return home permanantly brain damaged?
1. Ichi

_Lumos__ Et Nox_

Juliana Black, resident freak of _Lumos__ et __Nox__Academy, rolled through the school, her Arithmancy teacher shouting after her about skateboarding in the hallways. Her black and purple hair whipped around her face as she sped up, trying to get down to the main entrance quickly, zooming over the small sets of five stairs that were strategically placed to discourage skateboarding and rollerblading through the school._

"Out of the way! I'm picking up the newbies!" she shouted through the crowd, zipping past her crush and best friend at their lockers without saying 'hi'. She jumped off the skateboard, snatching it up in her arms in one quick movement and ran like mad the rest of the way, panting as she stopped in front of the office and main entrance.

"Are the Brits here yet?" she asked breathlessly as Mr. Arbor, the school's principal, gave her a disapproving look and tapped her skateboard, which by all rules shouldn't be out on this level of the school. She kneeled slightly, not seeing the look and tried to catch her breath, hair pooling down her shoulders, and cresting over her front. She pulled up sharply when she heard footsteps, pulling back her hair in one sharp movement.

"They are the foreign exchange students Juliana," Mr. Arbor said, clearly amused but still taking the disciplinarian's tone of voice. "Not 'Brits'. And no, they haven't arrived yet." Mr. Arbor took a quick glance at his watch and tapped it, looking up at the clock on the wall. "But they do have two minutes left before they are late," he said with a smile.

"Yo Missie! Get ya'self over here!" she said, waving over to her friend who, leaving Hot-Mike alone for the moment, had decided to investigate where her friend had gone in a rush.

"What's with the wheels?" the brunette asked with a smirk. Juliana faked an innocent look.

"It was either that or be late. And punctuality is _very important!" she said, trying not to burst into giggles. Missie snickered and said her hellos to Mr. Arbor, raising her eyebrow as Juliana opened her knapsack and pulled out a hunter green robe from it._

"What's with the formal-wear Jewlz?" Juliana slipped it on quickly as she heard the footsteps getting louder.

"Apparently these poor kids have to wear these ugly black things over a _uniform. It's awful. Anyway, I don't want to make them feel like freaks any more than they will when they arrive." Juliana shrugged, straightening it out as a bushy haired girl, hugging a book to her chest rounded the corner, chatting to a gorgeous boy with messy black hair and to-die-for green eyes._

"Harry! I _told you. Everything's different here. It will be __wonderful. I mean, I read all about this school, it's simply fascinating. I read over __A Brief Overview of Lumos et __Nox__Academy four times, and every time it sounded better and grander!"_

"And we _all know how __unbrief the __'Brief Overview' really is," Juliana said with an amused grin and stuck out her hand to shake the girl's. "I take it you're the Br- exchange students?" she said, quickly changing her wording, not wanting to offend them._

"Oh yes, I'm Hermione Granger," she said matter-of-factly, shaking Juliana's hand very business-like. Her smile never wavered, and from behind them two more students came around the corner, both blonde, and the girl had a yellow decorated uniform, while the boy's was green, differentiating from Hermione and the green-eyed boys' uniforms. While Missie could hardly tear her eyes away from the nameless black-haired boy, Juliana's sole attention as fixed onto the boy in green. She wasn't normally into blondes… but this boy's hair… was like _platinum. His eyes were a cold silver and his delicate features were so… fitting. She could barely remove her attention from him to smile and introduce herself to them._

"I'm Juliana Taryn-Jade Black, but all my friends just call me Jewlz." She shrugged, going for the flippant effect and motioned for them to follow. "Maybe soon you will too. I have the pleasure of showing you four poor souls around the school, hook you up with some peeps and some rooms for ya'." Juliana slipped a piece of chewing gum into her mouth and began chomping on it. "Anyhoo, I take it y'all are all fifteen or whatever, right? Or am I going to have to go searching through like three different grades worth of records and some shit?" she asked with a frown.

"We're all Fifth Years," Hermione said with a smile, causing Juliana to blink dumbly.

"You don't look ten," she said in disbelief. "No way in hell you're Fifth Graders, stop pulling my leg," she said oddly, causing Missie to burst out into giggles. "What's so funny _Margaret?" she said snapping, causing Missie to instantly stop laughing._

"_Not cool Jewlz. __Way not cool." She hated her full name. "It means they're like… in Tenth or whatever. They start years at Middle School or something," Missie said with a shrug, catching a basketball that was tossed her way. "Remy told me about it," she said in response to the surprised look Jewlz gave her, dribbling the basketball once, and tossing it back to the guy who tossed it over. Juliana's eye caught over to him and she screamed, throwing herself at him, completely in a literal fashion. She hugged him tightly, then immediately began to berate him._

"Brandon please explain to me, _now, exactly __where you have been, please!" she asked, lightly slapping his stomach with the back of her hand.  
  
_

"Hey kitten," he said with a smile, pushing the decorative cowboy hat on his head further back, showing off his clearly gorgeous face. "Family crisis at home; Michelle decided it would be a good time to have the baby," he said with a bright grin on his face. "They named him Keith. The poor child has Michelle's hair." His smile was bright and Juliana couldn't help but giggle.

"That's so sweet! I guess I can let you off the hook. I missed you and Brandy. Oh! Brandon! These are the exchange students from that stuffy old English school," Juliana said, holding onto him with an arm. His face lit up when his eyes caught them and Juliana smirked, whispering into his ear, causing his eyes to light up too.

"Anyway, I get the privilege to show them around the school and tell them who to avoid and whatnot. See you at the basketball game tonight, _right?"_

"Hell yes. Go M.A.!" he shouted, dribbling the ball down the hallway, narrowly missing having run into a football jock.

"Go M.A." she said with a grin after him, and started walking backwards, holding the skateboard to her chest. 

"I've been meaning to ask- what's with the board?" Missie questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Tony's been teaching me. What do you _think we do everyday after Quid? Make-out under the bleachers?" Juliana said sarcastically, slapping her forehead when Missie nodded. "Argh."_

"Well, anyway, I better scram. Talon's going to help me study for our Latin exam," Missie said, rolling her eyes and pulling a face.

"Utinam coniurati te in foro interficiant!" Juliana called after her with a wave as her friend ran down the hall.

"If I remember enough of that for Talon to figure out what you said- you can bet you're a dead-person!" Missie sniggered, turning the corner.

"I'm counting on it. Okay," she said, turning to the Hogwartians, "let me see if I can remember your names from the paper I was given. Unfortunately I left it in my dormy, so after I get you four lockers we'll be checking out rooms for you guys. Alright; you're Hermione… Granger. Ummm… oh gods, Hannah Abbott? Um… well, your looks are _way too sexy to have a name like __Harry Potter," she said to Draco, "so you would have to be… Draco Malfoy. Right?" she asked, hoping she hadn't offended him._

Draco snorted, "You don't know who Potter is?" he said with a sneer, not commenting on the fact she had just called him sexy.

"Oh I know _who he is, just not what he looks like. I take it Scarface over here is Harry, righ'?" she said casually. Harry's brow furrowed in anger and he gave her a __look._

"Sorry if I hit a sore spot," she said sarcastically, and turned around, falling back as they walked to be next to Draco. "Dorms are up this way," she said to them all and flashed a brilliant smile at Draco. "So are you interested in any specific type of person to date at all or are you one of those guys who don't date?" she asked.

"Are you… are you _hitting on __Malfoy?" Hannah asked in a shocked disbelief, her first word yet. The only one who still hadn't spoke was Harry. Juliana really didn't care one way or another, but she did wonder why it was so._

"_Hell yeah. Why wouldn't I? Is he gay or something?" she asked making a disappointed face, causing Hermione to burst into a fit of giggles._

"That's not funny Granger," Draco scowled as the bookworm could hardly contain herself.

"What's so funny? And is it just a _British thing to call everyone by their last name or something? Like- my uncle is __always calling Missie's uncle by __his last name, but hey, I thought it was just something he did because he's a dork." Juliana said, opening a door to a stairway and heading up._

"We just don't like him," Harry finally spoke up quietly, giving her a piercing look. Juliana looked shocked.

"Why?"

"Why _what?" Draco asked with a scowl._

"Why do they not like you? You look like a decent enough guy, if a bit moody. But who isn't?" she asked, making a face. "So are you looking for someone to date or what? 'Cause I can let you know who'd be your best bet if you just tell me your type; guy, girl, trendy, gothic, punk, jock, musician, geek, nerd, what; attitude, personality? Just a hint?"

"What are you, a matchmaker?" Draco asked with an evil look.

"No, I just want to set you up with someone I don't like so that I can feel free to bitch about them even more than usual, guilt free," she said with an airy laugh, stopping _finally at a landing from the stairs, after having already passed like five or six of them. She directed them down a hallway of closed doors, pulling out a key from her knapsack._

"Once we get you your rooms, I suggest you change asap. People are going to think you're freaks if you walk around in those things. Do you have anything that _isn't a uniform?" she asked, causing both Hannah and Harry to shake their heads 'no'._

Draco was always prepared. He had everything; even designer clothes that _looked like muggle clothing. Hermione on the other hand, __did have muggle clothes._

"'Kay. Hmmm, I think Shadow has some old clothes that might fit _you," she said to Hannah, "until you can get some of your own. And the wonderful thing for you is that if she'll part with some of her wardrobe, she can't wear it," Jewlz said mysteriously._

"As for you… Hot-Mike's the only one short enough for you, Harry. I'll see what I can do about convincing them to let you guys borrow some stuff." She opened the door to the dorm, revealing four beds inside. There were three doubles, and one very large bed that looked like someone had squeezed two beds together. And they had.

Jewlz threw her stuff onto the bed that was really two, and tugged off the green robe, revealing an overly large purple T-shirt with an evil smiley face and some writing on it, and a pair of boot-cut Day-Glo orange pants.

"I guess one of you are rooming in here since that bed wasn't here this morning," she said, pointing at the bed with no furnishings near it or any clothes lying around on it, nothing to prove ownership. "Lessee…" she said, kneeling on the floor and pulling a piece of paper from underneath her bed.

"I can't believe I didn't notice before!" she exclaimed. "Apparently Hannah's rooming with me, Missie, Hot-Mike and Brandy.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but why exactly were _you chosen to show us around?" Hermione asked, getting more into her element, the longer she was in the building. By now she had put her book into her shoulder-bag, but she still had a book-ish air about her. Jewlz smirked and rummaged through a section of the closet nearest her bed, pulling out a dark gold colored T-shirt, handing it to Hannah._

"I don't think you'll appreciate Shadow's taste in shirts," she said. "I got chosen because I'm one of the few people in our grade that can afford to miss a day's worth of classes, at least today's… and also because I have a range of friends all with different tastes. Arbor probably figured each of you would get in good with at least one of them.

"Okay, heh, Draco, they stuck you in with… ouch." Juliana grimaced and picked up a small bag with the _Lumos__ et Nox symbol on it. "You're with Melanie Richards and Jason Forbes. I feel bad for you. It's upstairs in room 24B. This is 69C in case you were wondering. Here is your key, pamphlet, rulebook, locker number, lock, and combo, and a map of the school. You need to memorize the rule book because they give surprise tests out in classes on the rules, but no one every obeys the ones except the really punishable ones._

"Like, Shadow was almost expelled for doing it on school grounds."

"Doing what?" Hannah asked, oblivious, causing Juliana to smile.

"She was getting laid," she said bluntly, causing Hannah's eyes to widen. "You can get two suspensions a year without being expelled. Just be careful all of you. We wouldn't want Professor Snape knowing you've been naughty, would you?" she said innocently.

"How do you know about Snape?!" Harry asked, surprised. He wasn't counting on anyone knowing about the greasy potions professor over _here of all places. Who'd have figured that Snape's reputation had traveled all the way to Rhode Island?_

Juliana shrugged, ignoring him and checking her paper again.

"You're in room-" but she was cut off by Hermione.

"We have co-ed _dormitories?!" she said incredulously._

"Ah, the joys of chastity spells in the dorm rooms. If you touch someone with lusty feelings in the dorms and those lusty feelings are returned then you both suddenly get tossed back about two or three feet," Juliana chuckled, knowing this from experience. "Anyway Harry, you're in room 19C, which is this floor, and Hermione you're in room- ouch- 88B with Lex and Queenie. I wish you luck. Those two fight like cats and dogs, but with more bloodshed. Harry… you're rooming with Shadow, Talon, and Chloe Smyth- she works on the school newspaper."

Juliana spent the next hour or so showing them their lockers and rooms and getting clothes for the four exchange students. This was going to be one weird year, what with a couple British kids invading school grounds… and it was only October 1st- so much could go wrong between now and then.


	2. Ni

_Lumos__ et Nox_

Shadow had been all-too-happy to lend Hannah some of her wardrobe, even some of her favorite pairs of jeans. They were just the right on size on the chubby blonde girl, as neither Shadow nor Hannah were exactly what one would call thin. Well, then again thin wasn't exactly the right word to describe Shadow at the moment. Yet, even a few months ago she wasn't very skinny either. Shadow took a soft brush through her brown/golden tresses, resting her left hand on her swollen belly.

"What are the newbies like?" she asked Jewlz in her soft-spoken voice, very quietly and calmly. Jewlz was lying on Talon's bed, which was next to Shadow's, snitching candy from a bag under his pillow. The black and purple haired girl made a face and started pulling at her hair gently to arrange it into the ponytails at the nape of her neck.

"Well Harry hates me- he's the adorable one who looks like he should be twelve and not fifteen, Herm-whatever-her-name-is is nice, but…" Juliana made a face and looked Shadow in the eye, "I get this feeling she's going to be competition in the grades department. Hannah- she's the one you're lending your clothes to for now, she's a little angel. I rather _do think that she'll be a fun one to corrupt," Juliana said mischievously, causing Shadow to giggle softly. "And Draco…" she said softly, pausing as she tried to figure out how to best describe him. "He… well as far as I can tell he's sort of like a mix between Hot-Mike and Lex I guess," she said with a shrug. "Ah! Talon has __so been holding out on me!" she shrieked, holding up a clear bag full of Life Savers. Shadow snorted, lifting up a bagel with maple syrup and Reese's Pieces up off of her vanity and took a bite with relish as she set down her hair brush._

"Eww Shadow! That's it! I'm never, _ever, going to watch you eat again! Pregnant women, sheesh," Juliana said, slightly nauseous and making a face. She grimaced, throwing a white Life Saver at Shadow, causing her to stick her tongue out at Jewlz. Jewlz giggled, and looked up at the clock and scowled._

"Damn. I gotta book," she sat up with a groan. "We wouldn't want out newbies getting lost on the way to the cafeteria, now would we?" she said sarcastically, cracking a smile and started to head out.

"Can you let Talon know I'm going to be late for dinner? I don't want him to worry," Shadow asked, taking another large bite from the bagel.

"Sure," Juliana nodded, then looked serious a moment. "Why?"

"I need to finish up my Herbology report," she said with a disgusted look on her face. Jewlz cracked a smile and nodded as she turned and left.

As she walked up the staircases and along the B-Dorm Corridor, she bumped into a very pale and very blonde friend of hers. Samantha Moore, known to her friends as Buffy, was a pretty little blonde thing that screamed 'sunshine', except when she was kicking your ass and shoving your face into the concrete. She never let anyone shove her around; not even when she was _really sick._

"Hey Buffy," Jewlz said dully with a wave, now realizing just how depressing it was for essentially all of her friends to have that special someone who was a best friend, but you were close enough to actually have a chance at that moment of bliss where the rules of friendship just don't apply and you can get lost into their eyes and…. Buffy frowned and asked her what was the matter. "Oh _nothing. Just remembering how pathetic I am and how easy it is to bring out that whole self-pitying thing. Really. I'm on my way to rounding up the newbies for dinner. Wanna' come with?" she asked hopefully._

"Oh… I'd love to babe, but I was just on my way down to the Nurse," Buffy smiled apologetically as Jewlz nodded and waved. The two started to continue in their separate ways, but Buffy paused and turned to face her friend.

"Hey Jewlz? Non illigitimus carborundum, babe," were Buffy's parting words as she tackled the staircase, running down. Juliana shook her head, giggling, and continued down the hallway, standing in front of 88B. Without bothering to knock, Jewlz swung the door open and spread her arms wide in a big show._ [Don't let the bastards grind you down.]_

"Recedite, plebes! Gero rem imperialem!" she said grandly with a sh**-eating grin stuck on her face. _[Stand aside little people! I am here on official business!]_

"Oh _real cute," Lex said from his bed, not looking up from the History essay he was writing. "Sed re vera, cara mea, mea nil refert," he said with a smirk, causing Jewlz to pick up a dirty sock off of the floor and chuck it at him. __[But frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.]_

Queenie growled under his breath, shooting a basket into his trash can with a crumbled ball of parchment paper.

"Will you two nerds lay off the Latin?" he said, frustrated and a bit pissed off. Lex, glad to have touched a nerve, sniggered at Queenie's misfortune of not understanding a damn word they said.

"Vah! Denuone latine loquebar? Me ineptum. Interdum modo elabitur," Jewlz said, pretending to look distraught. "It certainly isn't my fault you didn't sign up for Latin classes. How do you think you're going to manage to function properly in American Wizarding Society? Get a job in Muggle Relations? No, wait- even there you need Latin. Maybe play basketball on a muggle team?" Juliana sniggered. _[Oh! Was I speaking Latin again? Silly me. Sometimes it just slips out.]_

"Watch it Black- I have paper balls and I know how to use them," Queenie threatened with a sinister look, holding up said object and aiming at the girl.

"Your balls are made from paper? How embarrassing," Lex remarked dryly, flipping his paper over casually.

"Eff off Duff!" Queenie scowled bitterly, not finding him amusing in the least. Juliana blinked blankly, and shook her head to clear it.

"Well I'm here for the newbie, not for a lengthy discussion on Queenie Charles' genitals." Hermione had been listening the entire time in morbid fascination, but laughed softly at the remark, shutting her book with a resounding 'thud'. Hermione, personally, felt these kids were just a tad more than odd.

"I _do have a name, you realize," Hermione said good-naturedly. Lex cracked a smile, a rare sight indeed, and sat up._

"Mya has a name?!" he shouted in mock-astonishment. Jewlz caught on momentarily after, accompanied by a 100-watt smile.

"I had no idea that Mya had a name! What is it?" she asked incredulously.

"… I'm not sure Jewlz. What do _you think your name is, Mya?" Queenie added, eliciting a straight out __giggle from Hermione._

"Yayz! Newbie's been accepted! I dub thee, Mya, no longer a Brit-y newbie!" Jewlz shouted. Mya shook her head with a grin. She was clearly quite overjoyed to be accepted with them. Jewlz sighed.

"We better get on down to the caf'. But first we find your friends! Newbies, ahoy!" Jewlz exclaimed. "… Queenie? Aren't you supposed to be at basketball practice?" Jewlz asked, confused, pausing a moment. He shifted uncomfortably and nodded.

"Technically? Yeah, I am. But I was just hanging out with Buffy and-" but the boy was silenced by a hand in front of his mouth, palm facing him.

"Say no more," she said. "She said she's on her way to the Nurse's. Will we be seeing you at dinner or are you going to stay locked up with her in Sanitaryville?"

"I'll probably swing by," Queenie said with a nod and a quirky half-smile.

"'Kay, ciao." Jewlz said, tugging on Mya's arm. "We are amscray."

"Huh?" was all that Mya could get out.

"Never mind it, hun," Jewlz muttered, dragging her down the hall.


	3. San

_Lumos__ et Nox_

Disclaimer: On bio page.

+++

LAST CHAPTER:

"I'll probably swing by," Queenie said with a nod and a quirky half-smile.

"'Kay, ciao." Jewlz said, tugging on Mya's arm. "We are amscray."

"Huh?" was all that Mya could get out.

"Never mind it, hun," Jewlz muttered, dragging her down the hall.

++++

                "We pretty much just need to go save Draco from the evil clutches of the Preppy Queen and King, and then drop by my dormy for Hannah," Juliana said distractedly to Mya, pulling her scrunchies from the ponytails and throwing her hair into a sloppy ponytail. "Harry is being dragged around the east Quidditch Pitch by Hot-Mike, so he said he'd drag the newbie over to the caf' too." Mya raised an eyebrow at the mention of the Quidditch Pitch.

"_East Quidditch Pitch?" she asked. If Jewlz meant what she __thought she meant, then Harry was going to have a ball here. Jewlz nodded, brushing back a loose lock of hair behind her ear._

"Yeah. As in not the North South or West Quidditch Pitch," Jewlz said flippantly, ignoring her confusion. "Now, rescuing Draco from Student Council president and Broom Squad Captain," Juliana said with a disgusted face, rapping on the door of 24B. "Jason Forbes and Michelle Richards are Satan reincarnates," she turned to look at Mya. "And _this is a big thing because I don't even believe in the devil," she spoke straight faced and stonily as the door opened. The dyed-redhead made a disgusted face, and placed a hand on her hip, tugging down her baby-blue T-shirt so it wasn't riding up her chest. The shirt was two sizes too small and now revealed most of her stomach instead of all of it._

"What do _you want?" she asked with a sneer, her lip curling. Her skin had a soft tanned look to it, and natural-looking red hair, and not a single blemish nor freckle on her face._

"I'm here to rescue Draco from your evil, bitchy clutches, O' Great One," Juliana said in a seemingly innocent tone, being serious and trying not to laugh at the outraged look on Michelle's face. "Why else would I knock on your door? Ask you on a date? Don't think so," Juliana said with a cruel smile.

"God you're such a dyke. Fine, wait a minute," she growled, slamming the door in her face. Mya gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

"I can't believe she called you that!" she said in surprised and outrage. Jewlz shrugged, making a face.

"I've been called worse. It's no big deal. You need to have a tough skin to survive this pla-" she was cut off as Draco ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him, looking wide eyed.

"Please tell me all you American girls aren't like her!" he pleaded, frantic.

"Hardly," Jewlz drawled, slightly amused, "It would _totally be hazardous to the mental health of the world in general. You hungry?" she asked Draco, whose stomach, at that moment, growled noisily._

"Yeah… a bit." Draco's hand was grabbed, dragging him down the hall.

"Good." They went back downstairs, to the C corridor rooms, when Mya gave Jewlz a puzzled look.

"Why are the rooms on the C floor the same size as the ones on the B floor, but with more people?" she asked as Jewlz opened the door to her room, seeing Hannah inside.

"Well," she started, waving a 'hello' to Hannah, and going to her bed and rummaging through a bag that hung from the bedpost, "it really depends on your scholarship. People like Queenie pay for most of it, but he has a part scholarship. Guys like Lex pay for the whole thing. Normally he'd have his own room on the 'A' level, but his Dad's a real bastard and decided he didn't send Lex to a boarding school to escape from people, so he's stuck with a 'B' level room with Queenie. The more you pay, the better your room. I was going to be in a 'B' level room, but I wanted to room with Missie." She looked around the room and grinned at Hannah who was playing with her gold necklace shyly. "Let's go."

+++

Harry let out a loud laugh and said, "You're joking, right?" he asked incredulously, his emerald eyes twinkling with amusement.

"No way man, I swear it. Chocolate pudding went _everywhere," Hot-Mike said straight-faced. Harry grinned and sat down in front of Hot-Mike at a long rectangular table. He had been telling Harry what his friends affectionately called the 'Pudding Incident'. "It's a real shame we're both Seekers though, we won't even be able to be on the same team now. Missie's uncle is always talking about what a great flyer you are, even Jewlz's uncle agrees to that too." Hot-Mike said casually, giving a high-five to Tony as he sat down next to him. Harry looked at Hot-Mike, confused _

"Who's their uncles?" he asked, surprised and a bit weirded-out at the same time.

"You don't know? Oh, yeah… Never mind it Harry," Hot-Mike said quickly, ever the worst person to try and change a subject.

"Where are the girls?" Tony asked blankly, his eyes bloodshot as he patted his pant pockets looking for his eye drops.

"Man, are you stoned?" Hot-Mike asked with a snort, pulling the eye drops from Tony's breast pocket, and slapping the bottle into his hand.

"Uhhh… yeah," he said with a dopey grin. Harry looked on, horrified by the fact that he was face to face with a drugged-up _friend of Mike's. Tony slammed his hand on the table._

"You got a problem with it, Newbie?" Tony asked Harry with a straight face, eyeing him carefully through his red eyes and then burst into laughter at the scared look on Harry's face. "You are such a wuss," he sniggered carelessly, standing up slowly.

"Hey Tony!" Missie yelled, Talon walking next to her slowly. His black shaggy hair shrouded his eyes and his most of the piercings on his face, but no one could ignore the nipple rings that were attached to each other by a chain underneath his black mesh shirt, which, oddly, had solid midnight blue sleeves.

"Hi…" Tony said through his haze, hugging the mousy haired girl, with a pat on her back. Missie sniggered and smacked his arm.

"I thought I took your pot away after last time!" she said only half upset. Tony made a face, sitting down again with them.

"You did. I found some," he said shortly, evading the inevitable questioning. Talon shook his head and shot a thumb at Harry. "Is this the newbie Missie was talking about?" he asked slowly, his voice clipped but clear.

"What's with all the calling me a… a _newbie? It sounds insulting!" Harry said, having had enough._

"Well, uh. It _is insulting," Tony said with a snort. "You're the new kid and not a part of our group yet. You gotta prove yourself somehow or something like that. I think." He was __really confused now. Harry growled to himself, and then smiled as Jewlz came in with Mya, Hannah and Draco. Well, he only really smiled because Hermione was there, but hey._

                "Hey Talon! I haven't seen you all day! Were you skippin' Potions again?" she asked with a smirk.

                "Yeah, I didn't feel like going. It's a boring class," he said noncommittally. Jewlz stuck her tongue out at him.

"Tell that to my uncle," she said, pretending to choke herself. "Ooh! How rude of me. Guys, this is Hannah Abbott, Draco Malfoy, and Hermione "Mya" Granger!" she said with a big grin.

"Already?" Talon said dubiously, unsure of Hermione being Mya and not a newbie.

"Let me put it this way, both Queenie _and Lex agreed on it. She's Lex's You have a problem with it, talk to him. I guess he got a good impression from her already."_

"_Lex's?!" Hermione said, somewhat annoyed. Jewlz couldn't help but grin and chuckle._

"He accepted you into the fold and gave you your name. Like Silver was brought in by Buffy. No big deal, really," she said with a smile.

A loud bell rang overhead and food appeared on the tables.

"Food!" Missie said loudly, loading food onto her plate as a few people trickled in slowly.

+++

"What are we doing tonight after Queenie's game?" Talon asked the group, shoveling more food onto the overly-protesting Shadow's plate. His jet black hair shrouded his soft blue eyes, concealing them effectively, much to the dismay of many of the girls in school. Queenie shrugged, nicking a french-fry from Silver's plate.

"How about 'I never'?" Shadow suggested. Missie mock-glared at the girl, then cracked into a full-blown grin.

"You only want to play that because you know you'll win!" Silver said with a frown, stealing a sip from Queenie's soda.

"And _you nearly always lose. Remember that time you and Tony were going at it for like a good half hour until you finally passed out, even though Tony had drank more than you?" Lex said, his eyes aglow._

"How could I forget?" she groaned. "Hey, where's Brandon? I heard he was back from home now," she said through a mouthful of food.

Jewlz shrugged. "Probably in the showers, he had basketball practice. Game tonight, although _Queenie didn't go," she said with a frown. Hot-Mike slapped Queenie on the shoulder._

"He doesn't _need the practice, he's good enough as he is." He said encouragingly. Missie stopped her fork halfway to her mouth._

"No need to swell Queenie's ego even more, he might try taking on the whole team against himself," she said with a smirk, getting thwapped by her friend.

"Yaww, shut u- Hey Brandon!" he said halfway through his sentence.

"Heya," the brunette said sweetly, hugging Jewlz from behind. "Sorry I'm so late," he said, ruffling his hair, getting Queenie splattered with a few drops of water. "The hot shower just felt so good."

"Scooch over, Queenie?" Jewlz asked with a pouty lip, causing the basketball player to sigh and moved over to accommodate Brandon. "Th_ank y__ou," she said ever-so-sweetly. "Eat up, hun," she said sternly, handing over a bowl of fried chicken to Brandon, trying to speak up over the loud noise of the crowd in the cafeteria._

"Are you two… dating or something?" Harry asked wonderingly. He never saw any boys act so weird before, unless to their girlfriends. Brandon burst out into laughter, as did Missie and Lex.

                "No sweetheart, but I'll date _you if you want. You have the __cutest eyes," he said in his deep voice with a pearly white smile. Harry's eyes widened in horror as he blushed in embarrassment. "I'm gay."_

                "Oh, sorry about that. I just sort of thought…." Harry stammered, doing a Ron, his entire face and ears turning bright red. Jewlz grinned.

                "Don't sweat yourself about it Harry. People who don't know that about Brandon think that all of the time," she said, lifting her cup of milk to her lips and took a sip. "After the game, wanna have a round of 'I never'?" she asked Brandon.

                "Sounds like fun, and a good idea to get to know just how innocent our newbies are," Brandon grinned, giving Harry a large wink, laughing when Harry gasped and blushed again, looking down at his plate. "Relax, I was just teasing. You're not really my type," he said with a shrug, stealing Jewlz's milk and gulping down half of the glass.

                "'I never…' it is!" Shadow said with a smile, and Queenie stood up.

                "I'm going to go to the Nurse's to check up on Buffy. See you all after the game. Go M.A.!"

                "Go M.A.!" most of the table shouted, pumping their fists in the air.

                Spooning green beans into her mouth, Silver said to Brandon, "You guys are going to kick some serious ass tonight," she grinned.


End file.
